ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Commercial weight loss programs offer support to overweight and obese patients to reduce excess bodyweight. Many patients seek advice for weight loss from their general practitioners. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the framework of a randomized controlled 1-year trial the effectiveness and safety of a commercial weight loss program was compared with a primary care intervention. At the end of the trial the participating general practitioners and study participants were asked to answer specific questions about their offered weight loss management. This paper relates to the German study part (268 participants, 40 general practitioners). RESULTS: More than half of the general practitioners reported to offer a dietary concept which varied strongly across general practitioners. About one third of the general practitioners considered commercial weight loss programs as an alternative to support weight reduction. Participants reported that they considered weight loss advice by their general practitioners as helpful. But patients in the commercial weight loss program assessed the advice as more positive and achieved twice as much weight loss as patients in the primary care intervention. CONCLUSION: Evaluated commercial weight loss programs can be effective and safe alternatives for general practitioners to achieve weight loss in overweight and obese patients.
